Monday, March 28, 2016

Uptown Arcade Opens!

The long awaited Uptown Arcade opened this past weekend with a soft launch after receiving licensing approval on Friday morning. The local owners are excited about the opportunity to add an arcade bar to the Broadway corridor just north of Lawrence (4830 N. Broadway). Currently, the bar is open Mon-Fri 6 PM - 2 AM and Sat-Sun 12 PM - 2 AM.

The bar (located in the front)

The bar features local beers such as Revolution, Apex, etc. - predominantly served in cans, but draft beer will be installed this week as well. The bar also features a variety of whiskeys, as well as a full assortment of other spirits. Uptown Arcade accepts cash and credit cards.No food will be served by Uptown Arcade. However, patrons are welcome to bring in take out or order delivery. In fact, Lao Sze Chuan has offered to deliver for free (as they are located right next door).

Game Room (located in the back)

All of the arcade games and pinball machines are free for patrons to play. Currently there are about 35 machines on the floor, with a small number in the front bar. The remainder of the machines are in a large game room in the back of the space (the former Annoyance Theater space). The large game room space also features booths reclaimed from a 70's roller rink, picnic tables, and board games.

Board games available for patrons

Booths reclaimed from 70's roller rink

An homage to Street Fighter from a local artist

The owner also tells us that Uptown Arcade would like to feature artwork from local artists. Any local artists interested in being featured should e-mail uptownarcade@gmail.com

This e-mail address is also the best point of contact for inquiries about events (corporate or private).

On behalf of us at Uptown Update, welcome to the neighborhood, Uptown Arcade!

12 comments:

In theory, I love this addition, and I'm not excited about being "one of those" comments, but where's the atmosphere? This looks more like a low budget youth center than a bar. The free games are nice, though no longer novel, and I'm sure not cheap, but I can't imagine the lack of atmosphere is not going to impact their business. The exposed brick, concrete and picnic tables are a great start, but I think too little. Where's the fun? Maybe they'll make up for it in some way I'm missing from just these images.

I stumbled upon it yesterday, and there are some great classic games. They have hooked up a nintendo wii to the TV behind the bar, which you can also play. It's a nice touch! I really enjoyed myself.Good luck to them!

Many of us are familiar with the original PacMan and later Lady PacMan games. Now being this is Uptown we need a variety of PacMan games. For those of you not familar with Pac Man here's the Wiki page.

1. Twerker/Artist PacMan. This PacMan version only chases and eats coffee and public monies dots. Otherwise known as the fluorescent haired PacMan. Tag Line at the end of the game is a loud "Uptown is Home" followed by angry and furious twerking.

2. Wannabee alderman PacMan. There are actually about ten versions of this Pacman variation. Comes in male/female/gay/straight/lesbian/ and a variety of ethnic combinations. This is actually a recurring Pac Man edition and reappears approximately every four years and largely disappears in the interim. Like the cicadas it's loud and annoying during its appearances and then disappears. When it appears it tries to gobble up votes and leaves nothing in its wake.

3. Gay Couple PacMan. This is the rare double PacMan and is known to devour gardening books and leaves behind "to die for" front yards and public gardens in its path.

4. Gang banger PacMan. This Pac Man hardly moves unless its being chased by Cop PacMan or another Gang Banger PacMan wearing different colored clothes. Gathers on corners chanting "Gang Gang Gang" and is rumored to have IQ's somewhere around room temperature. Really doesn't eat the dots it chases as much as shoots at them from a moving SUV type vehicle.

5. Cop PacMan. Drives around the game screen in a vehicle, typically blue and white SUV's, and claims that it can't wait to retire from the game and move to a different "shitty". Sometimes eats or captures gang banger PacMan when not stopping at the various Dunkin Donuts in Uptown. This PacMan is hated by many other Pacmen and is always criticized for doing too much or too little. At the end of the game it chants "The Policeman is not here to create disorder, the policeman is here to preserve disorder".

6. Alderman PacMan. Often seen walking around the game board picking up stray garbage while being criticized in a similar way to Cop PacMan. On occasion rides a bicycle around the game board.

7. Homeless PacMan. Doesn't really chase or gobble up any dots as the dots are brought to them by well meaning Pac Men in large vans or on occasion private vehicles. Hangs out at the corners of the board. Sometimes hangs out in front of various stores asking for dots.

8. Jesus People PacMan. Only PacMan that comes in "smell-o-vision". Often hirsute, young, male and smelly. Insists that it only gobbles up dots so it can regurgitate dots and SAVE others. Formerly was known to try to spank other PacMen variations, but that apparently ended decades ago.

9. FLATS PacMan. Buys up many empty or rundown buildings in Uptown and fills them with Hipster PacMen.

10. Lesbian PacMan. Relatively rare except in the extreme NW corner of the Uptown Board. Dresses badly and is often perceived to be angry. Sometimes mistaken for IrishPirate PacMan who shares those traits, but is generally taller, paler, angrier and much more drunk. Good for landscaping the PacBoard or helping with plumbing related issues. to be continued

11. Professional Protester PacMan. Often doesn't live in Uptown, but may have in the past. Like JPUSA Pacman claims it wants to save others. Unlike JPUSA PacMan it may still spank other PacMan if money is exchanged. This PacMan has aged badly and will probably largely disappear in the near future only to make appearances from its new Ravenswood home during demonstrations. The most pretentious off all the PacMen.

12. Paulus PacMan. Been gone from the Uptown Board for a decade or so, but still can be heard to talk about Snack Shops on increasingly rare occasions.

13. Parking guy PacMan. Claims that any development in Uptown is wrong and wants a significant amount of space set aside for other Pacmen to park their vehicles even if they don't have vehicles. Demands that public space be set aside for their PacVehicles and don't want to pay for it.

14. New parent PacMen. Comes in gay and straight variations and often spotted walking to and from parks with their PacBabies. Too tired and busy to gobble up much.

15. Frat Boy PacMen. Often seen in groups with other similar Pacmen. Often heard using the words "bro, bragh, and dude." Usually drunk.

This group is not all inclusive and there is obviously some overlap between Pacgroups.

In any case you will be able to find me at the newest Uptown drinking hole playing any of those variations soon. Pac Man rocks and Asteroids doesn't rock. Which is strange because asteroids are in fact a giant space rock, right? I digress.

I agree with David Andora on the looks of the place,and I probably won't be a customer of the place because I'm not into video games.BUT HayI'm all for new businesses in our community and I know it will attract a certain demographics I wish them the best of luck..